Decisive Farming featured in CBJ

From the Canadian Business Journal, June 12:

Progressive growers farm with confidence

There are more than 64 million acres of farmland in Western Canada, the stewardship of which means the sustained livelihood of millions of Canadians who work directly or indirectly in the agriculture sector.

Decisive Farming is an innovative company dedicated to providing growers in Western Canada with the resources to manage their farm to its utmost potential.

Using a combination of innovative technologies and specialized industry data, Decisive Farming is a highly sought after growers’ resource, helping farms operate at their most profitable.

In business since July 2011, Decisive Farming is an off-shoot from DynAgra, allowing for a more focused approach to the precision farming division of the company. “The service offering in DynAgra had grown to a point beyond DynAgra’s original business structure, which is a commodity-based business. Decisive Farming is a service and technology-based company; the separation has allowed both entities to focus on core competencies,” says Remi Schmaltz, General Manager of Decisive Farming.

Used on farms ranging from a few hundred acres to tens of thousands, Decisive Farming takes the guess work out of the farm management process, allowing for more effective soil and crop maintenance, reduced vulnerability in the agriculture markets, and improved data management and record-keeping.

The Decisive Farming literature says it best. “The world of information technologies has reached the Western Canadian farmer. High speed internet access and mobile computing devices have revolutionized life at home and at work, and farm management has become increasingly virtual: commodities are traded daily over the web; software applications and server-based systems continue to become more powerful, cost-effective and inter-linkable. Farm machinery is guided by GPS and connected to the Internet, creating the potential for increased efficiency and productivity.”

“We set out to work with farmers in Western Canada to make better decisions on the farm by combining new technologies and expertise with our clients’ business goals and their knowledge of the farm,” says Schmaltz.

Decisive Farming works for “better decisions” by first gaining an exhaustive understanding about the farm and its purpose, and the tools available to that end.

“Our clients are progressive farmers who manage the top farms across Western Canada and are looking for opportunities to grow their farm business,” he continues. “Whether it be equipment, technology, money, or man power, we optimize these resources to their highest capacity. Better decisions means you are making more money in an effective way.”

Decisive Farming is more than just a company name, it is a way of farming that’s focused on three key areas: Precision Agronomics, Risk Management, and Farm Information Technologies. Technologies such as using GPS, satellites combined with soil testing, allow for the most thorough analysis of soil and crops, which then allows for a prescription suited specially to that area’s needs.

“This allows the farmer to use what they need to get optimal results; not over-applying or just guessing. The farmer who isn’t using soil testing or using agronomics services is like a driver who isn’t using a fuel gauge in their truck. You don’t know when you are going to run out of gas.”

Decisive Farming’s in-house team of agronomists, plant scientist and GIS technicians provide growers with expertise, and are available for consultation at any time, have planned monthly conference calls on market outlooks, and have a mobile web app available to clients for Know-Risk Farm Management. Decisive Farming also plans to launch more apps in the near future.

“Know-Risk Farm Management is a service that we provide in which we have a web-based tool that tracks the farms margin,” explains Schmaltz. “Online systems track margins with daily updates on crop prices so we can value futures and options. That service is supported in conjunction with a U.S. company called Risk Management Incorporated.”

Already gaining recognition at the highest level in its field, Know-Risk Farm Management won the Ag-Innovations award at Agri-Trade Red Deer in 2011.

Winning the Ag-Innovations award is “an important step in the growth of Know-Risk,” says Schmaltz. “First of all, it means that the industry recognizes the importance of developing farm risk management services that are specific to the needs of farms in Western Canada; second, all the positive feedback we’re getting for Know-Risk is going to allow us to continue developing new and improved services like this. The end goal is greater farm profitability for each of our clients.”

All of this is pointing to a very bright future for Decisive Farming. The company’s online platforms and strategically located business development specialists are allowing the company to develop strong business relationships with farms of various sizes across Western Canada.

As the company continues to move forward with new mobile technology, and focusing on how to further streamline farm information, Decisive Farming will bring clients more peace of mind and ease of operations.

Canadian Business Journal, June 12. http://www.cbj.ca/mobile/business_in_action/june_12/decisive_farming_progressive_growers_farm_with_confidence.html

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